The Gift That Keeps On Giving
by Queermazin
Summary: While out looking for the perfect Christmas present for her daughter, Anna finds herself down on her luck when the hot toy that Christmas is out of stock in every store. That is until a mysterious blonde woman named Elsa helps Anna get the toy she wants. At that moment, something sparks between them, something that will make the holidays one to remember. (Elsanna, Modern AU)
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

If there was one thing Anna loved more than chocolate and krumkake, it was Christmas She loved how everything seemed so magical and bright this time of year. The music, the food, the decorations, it filled her with a sense of innocence and wonder.

Whenever Christmas came around, it made Anna feel like a child again. Feelings of nostalgia were apparently, of her stuffing her face at Christmas dinner and unboxing all manners of presents that Santa had left for her under the grand old tree.

Those were happy memories, but they were long behind her now. Anna wasn't a child anymore. She was a grown woman now, and she was a mother now herself. She had been blessed with Jessie, the most wonderful little girl in the world.

She hadn't planned on having children so young, but Anna had learned to take what life gave her. Jessie was a bright young girl and Anna was glad it was the holidays now, since Jessie was off school and they could spend a lot more time together.

Tonight though, she was out shopping, hoping to buy everything that was going to help her make was going to make this Christmas her kid's best Christmas ever. That is if she could find one specific toy she'd had asked about for months now.

It was a cuddly snowman from a cartoon she and her daughter both liked. Sadly, she'd heard that the toy was quite a best seller at this time of year, what with the season and all that.

Most of that night, Anna had been shopping for the plushie, having left her little girl at her friend Ariel's house. Ariel and Anna had been friends since they were children and she was more than happy to look after Jessie. The girl got on well with Ariel's own daughter Melody too.

As the night went on and on, Anna felt like she'd gone through every toy store in town. But finally, she'd made it to the big mall in the centre of town. It would hopefully be here. If it wasn't here, then she would probably be in trouble.

However, it seemed most everyone else had the same idea Every toy store she walked by had signs saying "No more Olafs" And "SORRY SOLD OUT OF OLAFS" But she saw one in the window display of a toy store near the back of the mall. And come hell or high water she was going to get it

She went into the store and reached up, hoping to finally claim her prize. Only for it to be snatched out of her hands

"Hey!" Anna exclaimed as a man with long dark hair clutched the toy in his hands.

The man grinned maliciously at her. "Sorry, toots, I saw it first."

Groaning in exasperation, Anna glared at the man. "Come on! Everywhere else is sold out!" She growled. "I got a kid to make happy here!"

"Not my problem, babe," the man remarked. "I got a kid to make happy this Christmas too."

She watched as he walked up to the register, inwardly wishing that he would burst into flame. Hell, she wished she was the one who would be doing that burning. But Anna calmed down. She'd find some other way of getting that toy. Even if she had to go online for it (which she didn't really trust).

"Well, there goes someone who'll get coal in his stocking." Said a voice behind her.

Anna turned to see who had spoken. There was a young woman wearing a beautiful white coat standing behind her. She had long flowing platinum blonde hair and she wore a lovely pair of round glasses, behind which were a glistening pair of blue sparkling eyes.

The redhead felt a blush against her cheeks. This woman was... well, she looked quite beautiful. But she didn't think that way about girls... did she? She stuttered before finally finding the words to reply with.

"Yeah, I agree. I've been all over town looking for Olaf and so far...zip." She chuckled. "Guess they're literally flying off the shelves."

"They're certainly selling out," The woman admitted.

Anna groaned. "I wanted to find one for my little girl. " She sighed, lamenting her situation. "Guess I'll have to tell her Santa couldn't find it or I suffer the wrath of Amazon."

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she took pity on Anna. After a minute she then said, "Hold on a moment, I think I can help you."

Confused, Anna watched as the stranger walked over to the cashier and spoke with them. The cashier nodded eagerly and then went off to the back. A few minutes later, the manager appeared. He and the blonde woman talked, and then to Anna's surprise, they walked over to her.

The manager said "I'm very sorry, miss. We will be getting more Olafs tomorrow morning, so if you'd like, you can come here early and I will hold one for you."

Anna's jaw dropped. "...wait, what?"

"Well?"

Her mind was still processing what had happened. What exactly had this woman done for her? How could she have done this for her? But, Anna was more amazed by the fact that her mission had, in a way, been a success. She was going to get an Olaf for her little girl.

"I, uh...yes! That would be fantastic!"

The blonde woman just smiled with pride. Anna could tell this was something she had been glad to do.

The manager smiled broadly. "Excellent! We open at 8am tomorrow."

"Great, I'll pop in on my way to work tomorrow," Anna chirped. They briefly shared contact information and then he went back to the cashier. Anna was still giddy from the fact this was really happening, but she was more grateful that this woman had somehow helped her dream come true.

Then Anna turned to the blonde. "I don't know what you did, but thank you!"

The blonde grinned. "I have my way with this sort of thing."

"Oh?"

A soft embarrassed blush crept over the woman's cheeks, as if she was hiding something she didn't want Anna to know. "Yeah. I'm Elsa, by the way."

"Anna," The strawberry blonde introduced herself.

"Well, could I interest you in some coffee?" The blonde offered. "I mean... it's the least I can do."

"Oh. I would. But I gotta pick up my daughter from my friend's house. "

Elsa nodded. "I understand, I have a few friends who are mothers too." She smiled at her." Well, it was very nice to meet you, Anna."

"You too!"

Anna grinned as she left the store. Hopefully, she would come back the next day and see that the Olaf plushie was in stock. But strangely, her thoughts were now on the blonde woman. How pretty her blonde hair was, how she'd been so kind to her.

She felt warmth fill her heart. It had been a long time since Anna had been shown such kindness. She knew she might not see Elsa again... but she hoped she would. She wanted to know what powers Elsa had that allowed her to get that plushie.

She wanted to know... everything.

xXx

Later that evening, Elsa walked into her apartment, sighing as the long day was finally over for her. She tossed her coat onto the couch and sat down. Today had certainly been eventful for her that was for certain. Slumping on the couch, she took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes.

Her body seemed to be crying out for mercy. Elsa had clearly put herself under too much stress, but she had a lot of pressure going on at the Studio where she worked and Elsa liked to put a lot of effort into that work. Still, she knew she should try and relax.

It was Christmas after all.

But whenever she took a moment to relax, she felt like all she could do was remember how hard the last eight months had been, since _she_ had left her. It didn't help that Elsa was more or less alone in this apartment and didn't know that many people outside of her colleagues at the Studio.

As she was on her couch, her small white kitten crawled onto her lap. She purred and nuzzled up to her leg, wanting her belly rubs and head pats.

Picking the tiny kitten onto her lap, Elsa smiled and stroked her fur. "Hey Snowy," she cooed. "How's the cat life been for you?"

The tiny kitten mewled, as Elsa rolled her onto her back and rubbed her belly. The cat purred happily, Elsa swearing he was addicted to belly strokes.

"Well, the human life has been pretty rough for me today, that's for sure," Elsa admitted. "But... I think it ended on a good note."

She didn't know what had come over her to go to that store and see how the merchandise was doing. It wasn't really her concern. Yet, she probably just needed the validation that her hard work really was worth it, that she was still making people happy.

From the smile she'd seen on Anna's face, she knew at least two people were going to be happy. As Snowy jumped off her lap, Elsa got up and walked into her study, needing some more reminders of the work she did.

She glanced over at her desk. Sketches were scattered everywhere but some of them were blank sheets of paper with nothing on them. Artist's block, writer's block, Elsa had come up with a dozen excuses for her apathy in regards to her work of late, but nothing seemed to fit the bill.

"Ugh...I think Olaf is going to have to wait on his next adventure for a while."

Elsa preferred to keep the fact she was the creator of Olaf The Snowman a secret. She wasn't too fond of the big publicity it would have given her, but she was glad she was able to use that influence to help Anna get the Olaf plushie for her child.

Sitting down at the desk, she looked at all the various characters she'd helped create for Olaf's little world. His Reindeer friend Sven, his three little brothers, the Snowgies and the people of the village he often interacted with, like the big ice harvester.

And then... there was the snow queen. The woman who in the story had created Olaf in the first place. Not many people knew... was that Elsa had based the Queen on herself. Beautiful, blonde, loved to wear the colour blue. If Elsa was more cynical, she'd probably call the Queen her self-insert.

Yet, the Queen had been an escape for her lately. Writing the episodes that featured her had helped Elsa to try and deal with her feelings for the past few months.

The show was already airing its second season and she could tell the hype had never been stronger. And yet... Elsa felt like her creation wasn't having much meaning to her. The story of a little snowman that she'd hoped would inspire kids... was being used to push all these toys and merchandising.

She needed ideas for the third season, but nothing was coming, something to spice it all up. Yes, she was glad to be using it as an escape, but she soon realised it was becoming monotonous. Nothing felt satisfying to her about this and she hated it.

Maybe she should have just moved away from the show for a while, let either Honeymaren or Cassandra take over. They had been working with her long enough to carry on the job. They'd understand her stepping back for a year, to clear her head and find herself again.

And yet... something was pushing her to keep going. Maybe it was helping out that girl at the store, Anna. Maybe it was her knowing that Anna's little girl would be happy when she saw the Olaf plushie under the Christmas tree.

Maybe... just maybe.

Elsa rubbed her eyes. She needed her coffee and sleep. Enigma's were overrated, especially at 1am.

xXx

**Author's note: **Okay, here's something in time for the holidays, courtesy of myself and Guppy! I especially wanna thank Guppy for taking this story in a much different, but honestly better direction than what I originally had in mind. I wanted this entire story to be more or less an Elsanna version of that Christmas movie Emilia Clarke was in not that long ago. But I think I prefer this version more hehe.

Happy holidays and if you like the fic, I've already edited up the second chapter and I'll have the rest of the chapters ready to publish, hopefully before Christmas day.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

"Hey, boss?"

Elsa looked up from being hunched over her desk. She rubbed her eyes and put her glasses on, realising she had dozed off while doing her drawings at work. She groaned and looked up at the dark-haired woman leaning over her, smiling.

It was Cass, one of the senior animators at the studio and who served as one of the producers of Olaf The Happy Snowman along with Elsa, who was the main Showrunner. She tended to consider Cass one of the best friends she had here and in a way, thought of her like a second in command.

If it hadn't been for Cass taking a lot of the workload due to Elsa's current depression, the second season of Olaf probably wouldn't have been finished.

"Yeah, Cass?" Elsa groaned, rubbing her eyes again. "Something up?"

"How's it going?" Cass wondered. "That's the second time this week I've seen you doze off on your shift."

"It's going...actually it's not."

The brunette walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. She gave her a reassuring smile, hoping to cheer her friend up. "Got a block?"

"Got a block, got a depression, got a deep sense of emptiness in my heart," Elsa admitted. "And got a massive case of exhaustion."

"Yeah, I think we all have that," Cass chuckled. "It would explain why Raps is driving me crazy lately, with her drawings and stuff."

"My apologies. I know it's hard when girlfriends work together."

Cass smirked. "Yeah, don't make sure you have the same job as your girlfriend, Elsa."

"I wouldn't know, I've been single for eight months," Elsa remarked. She rubbed her eyes. "Jeez... I thought working at our own pace wouldn't mean we get crunch like this."

"It's the holidays, Elsa," Cass replied. "Everyone gets a bit stressed and tired. They'd all rather just be cosy in bed with hot cocoa listening to old holiday songs." She grinned. "And look on the bright side. Be glad the network didn't ask for a Christmas special."

Elsa laughed but sighed. "Maybe that would get me in the holiday spirit."

"Hey, why don't you go get a cup of tea? I can look at the sketches here with Punzie and the others."

"No, the tea here always tastes like pee," Elsa groaned.

Rapunzel then walked into the room. Rapunzel was the concept artist for the show, always drawing up new character designs. She and Cass had actually met while working at the studio and Elsa was very glad when they started dating. They just worked so well together.

Heck, everyone in the studio was working at their best. They had about thirty or so people, yet they were working like a well-oiled machine, except for Elsa.

"Hey Cass," the brunette said. "Honeymaren wants you to take a look at this render she made."

"I'll be right there!" Cass said. "Could you take care of the boss? She's having one of her seasonal depression spells."

"I'm not... okay maybe I am," Elsa groaned. "Christ, today has been rough for me."

Rapunzel petted Elsa's poofy blonde hair. "Come on, Snow Queen. You need to get out of the office. I know this perfect little bistro near here that'll really relax you."

"Really?"

"Really, really."

Thinking a moment, Elsa figured she could use some time to relax. After all, it was the holidays, she needed to rest and take it slowly, despite her workaholism. And a cup of tea at a nice bistro... sounded like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

"You know what... I think I'll do that. Cass, I think I'm gonna take the afternoon off. Can you hold down the fort here?"

Cass grinned. "You got it, Queenie."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I wish you wouldn't call me that."

"Hey, you based the Snow Queen on yourself," Cass reminded her.

"I'm slowly starting to regret it."

xXx

A little later, Elsa stood in the line at the coffee shop, waiting to be served. The place was very quiet, with only a few people in the Queue. Elsa was surprised she hadn't learned of this place sooner. She'd have probably taken some work to do here at one point.

But no, her goal here was to get away from work, get away from the stresses of her life. She was just here to get a cup of tea and maybe a few light snacks and just unwind. She wondered how many sugars she'd have with her tea, not too many she hoped.

As the queue slowly moved forward, Elsa looked down and took her phone from her pocket. She checked her phone to see if there were messages. There were none and honestly, Elsa didn't want there to be. This place was meant to be an escape. Nothing was going to drag her back to work.

Then something jostled into her legs making her nearly fall over. Elsa stumbled a little, but thankfully, she had the shelf of the bar to balance herself on.

"Oops! I'm sorry, she wasn't looking. Jessie, say you're sorry."

Elsa turned around and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe who it was. "You."

"You!"

It was Anna, wearing a rather beautiful looking purple jacket and black trousers. Down by her legs, was a little girl with long red hair the same shade as her mother's. That had to be Jessie alright. Elsa was taken aback by the sheer coincidence that Anna was here.

"Sorry!" the little girl chirped.

Composing herself, Elsa merely giggled. "It's fine, just watch where you're going in future, okay?"

"Okay!" The little girl smiled up at her. "I'm Jessie!"

"Well, hi, Jessie. I'm Elsa."

"You look really pretty!" She grinned. "Are you an angel?"

Elsa blushed. "I... I don't think so. I mean I'd know if I was. I'd have really big wings after all."

Anna blushed too. What stars had to align for her to meet Elsa here of all places? She looked quite tired too. How much sleep had she gotten the night before? But she was amazed that Elsa was just... even here. She thought it would be an age before she saw her again.

Clearly, fate had wanted them to be together like this, the red strings that surrounded them both had clearly not wanted them to part for long. Anna was a little nervous as she and Elsa just stared awkwardly in the Queue as they waited to be served.

"I... I didn't expect to see you here," Anna then spoke up.

"Likewise," Elsa admitted. "I guess... we can finally get that coffee together that I offered."

"Hey, you want to join us?" Anna wondered. "I just got off work and wanted to take Jessie out for some fun."

"If I'm not imposing on anything. "

"Oh, not at all! We could use the company."

Jessie piped up. "After this, we're going to get our Christmas tree!"

"Hey, what a coincidence! I don't have mine yet."

"Mommy, can she come with us?"

Anna grinned. "I mean... if he wants to."

The blonde nodded. This afternoon seemed to be getting better by the moment. "Sure... I needed something to do this afternoon anyway."

After they got their drinks (tea for Elsa, coffee for Anna and hot chocolate for Jessie), they went to a window seat. Elsa liked to sit somewhere with a view and the streets covered in snow was quite a view indeed. It reminded her of the snowy plains she'd drawn for an episode of Olaf.

Anna sat Jessie on a chair next to her, ruffling her little girl's hair as she sipped her hot chocolate through a straw, as well as helped herself to some biscuits she'd begged her mother to buy. She seemed to be quite a messy eater, although Anna didn't seem to mind.

"So Jessie, how old are you?" Elsa asked.

"Five!" She chirped.

"Oooh you're a big girl, aren't you," Elsa giggled. "You off school now I take it?"

"Yeah. My birthday is in February!"

"Really? So is mine."

Anna smiled at how well her crush was getting on with her little girl. Obviously, Elsa had some experience with kids. As Elsa kept chatting to Jessie, Anna then saw the sketchbook sticking out of the bag Elsa carried. She couldn't make out what was on it, but it seemed very good quality.

"You're an artist Elsa?"

"Oh... I suppose you could say that," Elsa admitted.

"Cool, I wanted to be an artist too," Anna stated. "But then this little bundle of joy ended up in my life." She petted her daughter's head and Jessie beamed.

"That's interesting. Do you wanna be an artist one day too, Jessie?"

"I dunno what I wanna be yet," the girl merely said, swinging her legs from side to side.

Elsa chuckled. "Well, you've got time. I'm sure you have a big long life ahead of you, and no matter what people say, you can do whatever you want."

"That's what Uncle Kristoff says!"

Anna laughed. "He does, indeed."

"Uncle Kristoff must be very wise," Elsa noted. "So what do you do, Anna? Since you obviously didn't take up being an artist."

"Oh, I work at City Hall," Anna explained. "I'm the associate manager for parks and recreation."

"Mommy does all the Christmas displays."

That reminded Elsa of something from the previous Christmas. Something when her parents were last in town. "Wait, did you do that Blue Christmas themed display they had in the city square? With the animatronic Elvis singing all those old love songs?"

"Yeah, that was me!" Anna chirped. "My mom got me into old music when I was little. It was a pain in the ass to get it all together though, but it was so worth it."

"Well, I loved that display. So did my father and mother when they were here last Christmas."

Anna frowned. "They couldn't come this year?"

"Nope. This year's the tour around the world. They were in Turkey last time we spoke."

Jessie then said, "Did you know that St. Nicholas is from Turkey?"

Elsa gasped. "Really? I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, maybe your folks will run into him!"

The blonde giggled. "Maybe."

Jessie then hugged Elsa's leg and looked up at her with big, wide blue eyes. She was very adorable and Anna was lucky to have such a wonderful girl like her. "If they do see him there... could you get them to ask him to send me an Olaf Plushie. I really want one for Christmas."

Those words moved Elsa greatly. She struggled for a few moments to think of what to say. But then she remembered how she'd helped Anna and in turn, would be helping this little girl get that wish. Only then, did she know exactly what to say.

"You know what... I think I will," Elsa said with a grin. "Do you like Olaf, Jessie? I hear he's quite a big thing this Christmas."

"Yeah, I love him! He doesn't let the fact that he's a snowman get in the way of his dreams."

Elsa nodded sagely. "Very true." She felt pride swell in her chest again. After all, she was the woman who wrote the little snowman that way.

"I also like the snow queen who made him! She's Mommy's favourite character!"

That brought a big smile onto Elsa's face. "Is that right?"

Anna grinned sheepishly, her cheeks glowing with an embarrassed blush. "Yeah, I have to admit. She's something else. Honestly, I wanna meet the woman who made her look so pretty. I wish all moms were that beautiful."

_I know one mom that definitely is_. Elsa had to hide her little excitement. Then her phone rang. "Oh! Uh, one sec."

"Sure," Anna replied. "We won't be going anywhere!"

Elsa quickly went to a quiet corner of the coffee shop, between the bathrooms and the janitor's closet, and took out her phone. She'd hoped someone would just text her, but not call her outright. But when she saw the number that was calling her, she sighed and realised she couldn't be angry at her.

"What is it, Punzie?" she wondered.

"Just checking up on ya!" Rapunzel's voice chirped from the other end. "You enjoying the Bistro I recommended."

"Well, uh, it;'s, uh, going okay. And the Bistro is very lovely, Rapunzel. Thanks for the recommendation. " She blushed a little. "Do you, uh, remember that girl I told you about this morning?"

"Oh! The one who needed that Olaf plushie?"

"Yeah. She's, uh, she's here."

Elsa didn't know what Rapunzel's reply would be to that. She hadn't expected the loud, very girly shriek that came out of the receiver and almost deafened her.

"Really?!"

"Ow!" Elsa exclaimed. "That was my eardrum, you know. I already have bad eyesight, I don't want to go deaf too."

"Sorry, I'm just so happy for you!"

The blonde blushed so much more. Why was Rapunzel making this so embarrassing for her? She just wanted a nice quiet afternoon... with a girl she happened to be crushing on. "W-Why?"

"It's been ages since you had a date."

Elsa blushed "I've been on dates!... okay, but not that many."

"Come on, it's been a long time since you were actually out with a girl you genuinely liked, and not some chick Cass and I tried to set you up with," Rapunzel reminded her. "Remember Belle? And how happy you were when you first met her?"

Elsa sighed. The mention of Belle's name... brought back a lot of memories. Good near the start, when they'd been dating and enjoying each other's company. But bad later on, when Elsa caught her making out with a man and the brunette just dumping her right there and then.

"Oh sorry..."

"It's... It's fine," Elsa assured Rapunzel. She was really doing her best to put that behind her.

"Well?" Rapunzel wondered, clearly wanting to know more about the date Elsa was on.

Realising the cat was out of the bag, Elsa realised she might as well tell Rapunzel everything. "We're going to go pick out a Christmas tree."

"Not bad for a first date."

"With her daughter tagging along?"

"Still counts."

"She might be married already."

"Did you see a ring?"

"Well...no, I didn't but she may have taken it off."

"Well... maybe just ask her," Rapunzel urged. Then Elsa heard someone call Rapunzel's name. "Sorry, Cass is calling me. One of us will text you later, okay?"

"I, what, wait, Rapunzel!"

Too late, her friend was gone. The blonde groaned softly. _Well...guess this is a date after all._ At least Anna and Jessie were good company and Elsa was very grateful to be around them. Perhaps Rapunzel was right... perhaps Anna was just the person Elsa needed to help her get her life back on track.

Putting her phone away, Elsa then sat back down with Anna, who had just gotten Jessie a cupcake from the counter. The little girl was stuffing her face full of the icing, getting crumbs everywhere. It was quite adorable to see.

"You all done?" Anna wondered.

"Uh... yeah," Elsa replied. She then looked over at Jessie who was busy eating her cake. She had to admit, she still was feeling a bit peckish. "That looks good. Think I'll get one too."

Anna said with a smile "And then Christmas trees?"

"And then Christmas trees."

xXx

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Wandering Oaken's Christmas Tree Lot. The place was massive and vast, so many trees that the entire place could practically be called a forest. With all the trees on display, of shapes and sizes, there was sure to be one that fit what Elsa and Anna respectively wanted.

Elsa was hoping to find something small and intimate. The front room in her apartment wasn't very big and the smaller it was, the less likely her cat would pull it over. Anna meanwhile, wanted something large and vast to stuff Jessie's various presents beneath.

For at least an hour, Elsa and her new companions simply wandered the lot, observing the various trees. Elsa was quite grateful to have some more time to spend with Anna. She really did feel like something was growing between them.

Jessie skipped ahead a little. "Mommy, can I go and look on my own for a bit?"

"Just don't run too far, okay? Otherwise, Elsa and I won't be able to find you."

"Okay!"

As Jessie ran ahead, Elsa decided that now was as good a time as any. After all, Anna was alone and she would be able to answer the more... intimate questions Elsa had, questions that Anna probably wouldn't have been able to answer with Jessie still around.

"Anna, if I may make an observation...I didn't see a wedding ring on your finger."

"Oh..." Anna looked down. "I'm not married."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I just assumed-"

"No it's fine," Anna chirped. "Everyone seems to ask about that." Then the strawberry blonde sighed, her cold breath turning into vapour in the chilly atmosphere. "I... I had Jessie when I was nineteen years old. Typical, teenage pregnancy you could say."

"So... you've been raising her alone?" Elsa realised. "Do you... know where her father is?"

"His name is Hans Westerguard and-"

"Wait. As in Westerguard Financial?"

"Yep, that's the one," Anna confirmed. "You know him?"

"His father owns the building next to the place where I work," Elsa explained.

Anna nodded. "Thankfully he's not too much of a jerk when it comes to child support and such, but...he always makes the excuse that he's too busy this or that and..." she took a deep breath. "Let's just say I'm glad that he's not around to actually be a father to Jessie."

Elsa nodded. "I see."

But the radiant sunlight then returned to Anna's freckled face, as she grinned. "My brother, Kristoff, pulled some strings and got me the job at City Hall and then Jessie is a great kid, so I can't complain."

Elsa smiled. "And you were willing to brave the crowds to get a plushie for her."

"Yeah. By the way, thank you for that. I got it this morning."

"That's good," Elsa agreed. "I'm... glad I could help make your daughter's Christmas."

"How were you able to manage that, anyways?"

"Um...well, I, er-" Elsa wanted to spill the beans right there and then. After all, she'd been grilling Anna on her secrets, it only seemed fair that she tell Anna everything. But she wondered how much Anna would freak out if she knew she created Olaf.

Thankfully, Elsa was spared as Jessie came running back towards them.

"Mommy! I found the perfect tree!"

_Phew, saved by the kid_, Elsa thought.

Anna grinned, following her young girl. "What did you find?"

"Follow me!" Jessie then rushed ahead and Elsa and Anna followed her. They turned the corner and just stared as Jessie showed them what she had found.

Jessie stood next to what had to be the greenest tree in existence. It looked vast and wide, nearly as tall as a living room. Obviously, this one was going to be Anna's. "This one!"

Elsa whistled in awe. "That's definitely a tree."

Anna grinned. "She has a good eye for this sort of thing."

"Well..." Elsa then said. "Maybe she can pick out my tree. I'm pretty bad with decision making."

"I'd love to!" Jessie chirped.

Elsa smiled as Jessie ran forward into the parking lot as she and Anna walked together. For the first time in forever... Elsa felt happy to be in someone's company again. And if she was honest... she wanted to stay with Anna for as long as she could.

_Yes,_ Elsa admitted to herself. _I think I'm in love with her._

xXx

**Author's note: **And here is chapter 2 of this little festive tale! I didn't expect to post this for another day or so, but I figured, why not, I got quite a good bunch of feedback on the last chapter hehe. Idk when the next four chapters will be out, but I'll do my best. I'm making them my top priority this holiday season. Anyway, see you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

"Tag you're it!" Melody chirped as she and Jessie ran around the front room.

"No way! You're older and faster than me!" Jessie giggled back, chasing after the black-haired girl as she turned around the nearby couch.

Watching their daughters from the other side of the room, Anna and Ariel smiled. It had been a while since they'd all been together like this. Anna was glad that her daughter was best friends with Melody. It reminded her of how close she and Ariel were at that age.

"Hey, girls, no running in the house okay?" Ariel insisted, sitting forward as the two girls ran out of the room together to continue their game of tag.

Anna giggled. "Ari, relax, they're kids."

"Uh-huh, you wanna tell me that when they break one of my seashell ornaments?" the redhead joked.

"I can pay for it," Anna assured her.

"On an associate manager's salary?" Ariel remarked.

"Hey, it pays better than you think," Anna admitted.

Although Anna thankfully had a day off from work that day, she'd probably spent more time daydreaming about Elsa than actually doing some work. Fortunately for her, no one had noticed, but she was still a little embarrassed by her attraction to the woman.

As Ariel flicked through channels on the TV, she took advantage of the fact that the children were gone to ask Anna about something. "So were you able to get the Olaf plushie?"

"Yep!"

"Wow!" Ariel expressed in surprise. "So how did you do it o wise and powerful Jedi Master?"

Anna booped Ariel on the nose playfully. "I used my Force powers for good, my young Padawan."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Technically I'm older than you."

"Shut up, you know what I mean," Anna said, smirking and nudging her elbow.

Ariel laughed. "Hey, I'm just asking... I think I might get Melody one, but I think she's getting a bit old for that." She then sighed at how old Melody was now. Three more years and she'd be reaching the big double digits. It seemed so crazy now.

Anna smiled. "She's really grown up fast."

"They certainly do," Ariel admitted. Then she sighed. "I just wish Eric was still alive to see her."

Eric was Ariel's husband and Melody's father. Anna hadn't known him as well as she would have liked, but he was a good person with a good sense of duty and responsibility, perfect for a woman like Ariel. Tragically, he was a police officer who, a few years earlier, had died in the line of duty, helping stop a bank heist gone wrong.

For all these years, Ariel had been trying to move on, but reminders of how old Melody was, not to mention how much she resembled her late father in terms of hair colour didn't help with that. But Anna knew that she was doing her best for her friend by being here for her.

Reassuringly Anna held her friend's hand. "Hey, he'll always be with you in spirit."

Taking a deep breath and relaxing, Ariel smiled. "Be glad you stopped looking for love after that Hans guy got you pregnant. Honestly... it sometimes just isn't worth the heartbreak."

Anna then shifted around a little nervously. How convenient that Ariel had to mention that. She was a little embarrassed, but perhaps it was time to let the secret out. After all, it was Ariel, her best friend. If she couldn't tell her, who could she tell?

"Um... about that..."

Her friend raised her eyebrow. "Wait... oh Anna don't tell me..."

"Okay so..." Anna stated. "You've been with girls before right?"

"Oh yeah, I dated this chick named Vanessa for a few years back when I was in high school," The redhead replied. "Why you ask?" It was at that point that Ariel realised what Anna was referring to her and ocean-coloured eyes widened. "Wait... are you..."

Anna flushed red in embarrassment. "I just... I dunno, there's this girl I've met lately... and she's really pretty and we got on well. I mean I never figured myself for being Bisexual but... she's just so sweet and she makes me feel really good."

"And who is this girl?" Ariel wondered.

"Her name's Elsa," Anna replied. "Last name, I don't know, but what I do know is that she's gorgeous, got really long pale blonde hair and blue eye like diamonds."

A brief pause followed before Ariel started laughing. She grinned at Anna in a very knowing manner. "You got it bad, Anna!"

"Got what bad?"

"The gay," Ariel chuckled. She put a hand on her shoulder. "So... have you asked her out yet?"

"No... maybe?" Anna wondered. "I mean, she helped me buy something for Jessie and then I bumped into her the next day at that Bistro downtown. We went Christmas tree picking together."

"Well, it's clear she likes you... and you like her," Ariel remarked, making a good point. "Why not just ask her out?"

"I... I don't know. I've not really thought about anything relationship wise... not since Hans, and you know how that whole mess turned out."

"That was five years ago," Her friend insisted.

"And for those five years, I've been focusing more on being a good mom for Jessie," Anna insisted. "I mean, I didn't plan on being a mom so young, but I don't wanna screw it up... and I'm worried a relationship could complicate things."

"Jessie's a good kid, Anna," Ariel assured her. "She's in school now and she and Melody can take care of themselves. She's not so little anymore."

"But I want her to grow up big and strong," Anna stated. "I can't exactly help with that if I'm busy with Elsa."

"Anna, relax, Jessie will be fine. I can take care of her on the nights you're out with Elsa, if you do keep up this thing with her. I've been a good babysitter these last five years and I promise, I'll probably still be good at it for many more."

"I know... but these are her early years," Anna said. "I wanna be there for her. I mean... I never got to see my mom that much when I was her age. She needs me, Ariel."

"And you will," Ariel replied. "You're good at finding that special balance."

"I... I don't know," Anna admitted. "I mean.. maybe like two years ago I'd have been interested... but what if it ends up like you and Eric... I don't know if I could cope with that either. Then I'd have a broken heart and a broken relationship with my daughter."

"I did," Ariel admitted. "I admit, it was really hard at first, but no matter what, if you love Elsa and if she loves you back, and even if I think it's crazy for you to try again... I say go for it."

Just then, Melody and Jessie headed towards their mothers, having just rushed back into the room.

"Mommy, can me and Melody go out and play in the garden? It's really snowing!"

Looking out of the window, Anna could clearly see that the back yard was covered in a thick layer of white snow. It was the perfect definition of a White Christmas. If anyone were to look up "Snowy Scenery" online, an image of that garden would probably be what they'd want.

And if Anna was honest... it had been a long time since she'd gone out and built a snowman or had a snowball fight. It would help her clear her thoughts.

Anna grinned. "Sure," she said. "Maybe we can have a snowball fight."

Melody smirked. "I bet you I'll win."

"I think I'll stay on the sidelines for this," Ariel remarked. "I just got my hair done yesterday and I don't want it getting drenched in snow."

The strawberry blonde giggled. "Your loss, Ari." She got up. "Hey, maybe you can be the referee for us?"

"No way, I've got dinner to prepare," Ariel insisted. "You have fun though."

As Melody and Jessie went to put their boots on to go out in the back yard, Anna thought for a moment about Elsa and what Ariel had said. She knew that something was brewing between them. She then looked down at her phone, remembering that after they'd gone Christmas tree shopping, Anna had gotten Elsa's number.

Perhaps later on... she'd give her a call.

Right now though... she had a snowball fight to win and Anna liked to be on the winning team, even if it was against her daughter.

xXx

Meanwhile, in her apartment, Elsa was looking over her Christmas tree, wondering if she'd decorated it just right. She'd spent every moment since she got home from work trying to make sure it was just right. She was mainly just glad to have something to do that wasn't related to her job.

Decorating the tree had made Elsa feel a bit nostalgic from when she helped to decorate the Christmas tree she had as a child. She'd even saved a lot of the same decorations too, even though a lot of the tree was filled with much more modern ornaments.

As she was looking it over, her cat Snowy walked up to her and meowed.

"Hey little fella," Elsa replied, picking her up. "What do you think of our tree?"

The cat just mewled, not really giving an opinion, but Elsa used her cat to give a voice to some of the nagging doubts she had in the back of her head about her decorating technique. Something still felt a little off about the way the tree looked.

"Yeah, I guess I should put the lights a bit more towards the top. I mean, I don't want you pulling them off and the whole tree down," Elsa remarked. She then put the kitten down and she scampered off, leaving Elsa alone to make her adjustments.

She tried positioning the lights a little higher and the baubles up a little more. But then she frowned. It still didn't look right either. Nothing was satisfying her obsessive-compulsive tendencies. She just wanted the tree to look just right.

"No, no, that's not right at all," Elsa groaned. She took a few steps back and then a few deep breaths to calm down. "No... it's fine, it's just a Christmas tree."

But then she had second thoughts yet again. The tree still wasn't looking like how she wanted. "What if I put the lights closer to the trunk?"

Elsa tried that arrangement and still, she wasn't satisfied. God, she hated being a perfectionist, especially when it was outside of the workplace. She was supposed to be relaxing from stress, not adding to the massive pile building up within her.

Thankfully, to her relief the phone started ringing. Elsa sighed. _Thank god, something to pull me away from all this utter insanity._

Heading to the couch where she left it, Elsa soon picked up the phone, wondering if Cass was calling her from work. She and Rapunzel had apparently decided to work late at the office that night.

"Hello?"

"Elsa, is that you dear?"

The blonde's face lit up. She would recognise that voice in a heartbeat. It filled with a sense of joy and elation that couldn't be described. "Mom?"

"You guessed right!" Her mother, Iduna chimed in.

Elsa chuckled, smiling widely. This certainly was a pleasant surprise. She'd last heard from her mother probably a month ago. Her parents were at the time still in the middle east, embarking on the next big leg of their round the world trip.

Holding the phone closer, Elsa grinned, as Snowy plopped herself onto her lap. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you for like another month or so!"

"Well, it's the holidays and I'd probably be a terrible mother if I didn't check in on how my daughter was doing."

Blushing, Elsa felt touched. "That's very sweet of you, Mom... I was just finishing setting up the tree right now."

"Ah, you got it set up early!" the older woman chirped. "Very punctual of you."

"Actually... I only got it because I was with..." Elsa stopped. Did she really want to tell her mother she was seeing another girl? Her mother tended to react a bit over the top to that sort of thing. Feeling embarassed, she tried to change the subject. "You know what never mind..."

"Elsa, are you seeing someone?" her mother asked.

"What... No, maybe?" Elsa sighed. It was impossible to lie to her mother and she hated to lie to her family in general. "Look, it's nothing major. I'm not sure if she even wants a relationship with me."

"Elsa, I remember how heartbroken you were when that Belle girl broke up with you," her mother said. "If whoever this girl is, she clearly makes you happy and you want to be with her. There's nothing saying you can't give it a go. What's her name?"

Realising it was safe to tell her, Elsa nodded. "Her name is Anna. She's a bit younger than me. She's got a little girl named Jessie!" She wanted to rattle on and on about how beautiful Anna's eyes were, how her skin was just soft to the touch and her freckles were just adorable, but she didn't want to sound too much like a lovesick pup in front of her mother.

"Well, you always did say you wanted to be a mother."

The blonde woman blinked. "I did? When did I say that?"

Iduna chuckled. "About the time you said you wanted to be the next Walt Disney. You said that if you made cartoons, you hoped one day, you and your future wife could sit down with your kid and watch your stuff and your kid would love it."

Elsa blushed. "Maybe I did..."

"Look, sweetie, I think you should get to know them. After all, Christmas is the time when our hearts are open to anything."

"Even love?"

"Especially love."

Elsa smiled. "Speaking of love... how are you and dad doing? You still in Turkey?"

"Yes, but we go to Greece tomorrow."

Then Elsa remembered the little fact Jessie had told her yesterday. "By the way, you should say hi to Santa."

"Pardon?"

"St. Nicholas is from Turkey, Mom."

"Oh! I didn't know that!"

"Neither did I... until Anna's kid told me," Elsa smirked.

"Well, I'll stop by and say hi before we leave on our flight," Iduna replied. "I'll ask him to bring you some flowers to give to your new girlfriend."

Elsa blushed again in embarrassment. "Mom!"

Iduna laughed. "Okay, okay, I better be going. I really should be getting to bed."

"Okay... goodnight Mom," Elsa said. "Tell Dad I said hi."

"I will dear, Goodnight to you too."

As Elsa put the phone down, she felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart. Her mother was always so wise and kind to her. She'd been the one to encourage her pursuing her career as an animator in the first place, from when Elsa was a little girl doodling with crayons.

And now she was encouraging her to take the next big step in her life, finding love again. It was the time of year she should open her heart after all. It had been so closed off for so long, but... Elsa finally realised that yes, she did want to be in love again.

But first, she needed a drink. After getting herself some coffee, Snowy curled up on her lap again and she stroked her fur, smiling softly. She was honestly the perfect companion for her, besides Anna. As she sat and thought for a few moments, she reflected on her feelings for Anna.

She remembered how everyone had been so giddy over her after she told them about her day out with Anna. Honeymaren had jokingly asked her when the wedding would be. Elsa probably wasn't going to propose just yet but... who knew what the future would bring.

Anna... was something else. She was a dork, she was funny, she was a great and inspiring mother to her daughter and she made Elsa smile. She was like a Christmas angel, having been brought down from heaven to bring some light to her life at the end of the year.

And Elsa had already made Anna smile by helping her buy that plushie of Olaf. She did regret not getting round to tell Anna about her being his creator. By now, she trusted her fully and knew she'd probably keep that little secret.

Then... Elsa decided. She was going to ask Anna out to dinner. just the two of them and she would confess all of this to her.

"Okay...I can do this."

Elsa reached over to the phone and looked up Anna's number. The strawberry-blonde had given it to her after they bought their Christmas trees together. Did she really want this? If Anna broke up with her, Elsa knew that the heartbreak she wouldn't overcome.

Ever since Belle dumped her for Adam, she'd been in a depression all these long months. She hadn't put enough work into her cartoon as she wanted to, had become distant from her colleagues. And yet, making sure Anna got that Olaf plushie and being around her made her feel so happy. She wanted that happiness.

She reached to the phone and pressed the call button. It rang for a few moments, moments that seemed like an eternity to Elsa as she held it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

Elsa's face lit up when she heard Anna's voice. "Hi, Anna... it's Elsa."

"Elsa? Oh my gosh, I was just about to call you," Anna said, before she giggled. "I... uh, hope that didn't sound too creepy or anything."

"No, no... it's fine," Elsa said. "How are you doing?"

"Uh... pretty good."

Elsa blushed a little, trying to think of what to say. To think she was really going to ask her crush out on an actual date. "I... I was just thinking. You're really sweet to me Anna and I was wondering... if we could get to know each other a little better."

There was a pause.

"Is this you actually asking me out? Like you actually like me?"

The blonde hid her face in her hand. "Maybe."

Snowy meowed, encouraging Elsa.

"Aw, thanks buddy," Elsa said.

"Who was that?"

Elsa smiled. "Just my cat."

"You have a cat?" Anna wondered.

"Her name's Snowy."

"Awww, Hi Snowy!" Anna chirped.

The cat meowed back.

"I think she likes you," Elsa replied. "I... I like you too." The blonde blushed shyly

There was an awkward pause again. "I... I like you too Elsa. I mean... you were like a knight in shining armour for me the other night, getting me that plushie."

"I... I wanna tell you how I did that," Elsa said. "But when we're actually together."

"Oh, now you've got me interested," Anna responded, delighted and excited.

That made Elsa beam. "Okay... so is tomorrow night okay?"

"Yeah, perfectly, I can tell my friend Ariel to watch Jessie while I'm out," Anna agreed. "You got a place you wanna go?"

"There's this lovely Italian place not far from my apartment," Elsa said. "They do a really nice spaghetti bolonaise."

"Ooooh! Is it fancy?"

"Kinda, but you don't have to dress up for me," Elsa assured her.

"Oh, I'm gonna!" Anna insisted. "If this... is gonna work out between us, I really wanna impress you."

Elsa smiled. "Then... I think I've got something in mind too." Her heart swelled. "So... I'll see you there then?"

"Yup!" Anna chirped. "And Elsa... thanks again for all you've done for me."

The blonde blushed. "My pleasure."

"I gotta run now though... I need to wash my hair. I took a really big snowball to the back of the head, courtesy of my daughter's best friend."

"Oh dear," Elsa giggled. "I'll let you clean up then."

"Yeah, toodles!"

As Elsa put the phone down, she took a deep breath and then did a very uncharacteristic, girly squeal. She did a little dance around the couch. She'd never felt so happy before in her life. She and Anna were going to be going on an actual date. "Yes, I did it!"

Snowy was a little scared and jumped back of the couch in shock.

"Sorry," Elsa apologised, petting her head. "I haven't been this happy before... not in a long time."

Her kitten mewled and crawled away, heading to the kitchen. It sounded like she was hungry and Elsa was feeling a bit peckish too.

"Okay, let's both get some food, little one," Elsa declared. "And then I'm gonna fucking finally sort that Christmas tree out."

xXx

**Author's note: **Okay, I didn't expect to be putting out Chapter 3 so soon, but Guppy and I managed to write literally the entire rest of this fic all last night xD. I hope you enjoy the cuteness and goodness that is to come from this story and the follow-ups I am probs gonna write. I just love this AU!

See you soon!


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

"Hey Mommy, why are you getting all dressed up?" Jessie asked as Anna put on her earrings. The young girl then tugged on the skirt of Anna's red dress.

Anna giggled and looked down at her daughter. "Mommy has a date tonight, Sweetie."

"Oh! Is it with that Elsa lady? You must really like her!"

Hearing Elsa's name made Anna smile. "I do actually. She makes your mother very happy." She then bent down and kissed Jessie on the forehead. "Now, Ariel will be here to take you to her place for the evening soon, okay?"

"And you'll pick me up, later, I know!" the girl chirped.

"Good girl," Anna acknowledged, grinning brightly at her little girl.

After Jessie left to play with her toys, Anna looked at herself in the mirror again. Her hair was out of it's long cut for once and in a very elegant looking ponytail. She hoped she looked good for Elsa. She didn't get a chance to wear dresses like this often.

To think, this would be her first date in six years, and her first date with a woman no less. Anna didn't let that bother her. She definitely did feel that attraction towards Elsa. The blonde was like a mystery novel and Anna was quite eager to get to the bottom of it and find out all her secrets.

She never did tell Anna how she was able to get that Olaf plushie for her daughter.

_Hmm...maybe she works for the toy company or something. I mean she did have a sketchpad. Maybe she's the lady who designed the toys? I mean she does wear those really cute glasses._

Anna realised she was getting very far into the realms of fantasy. After all, Elsa may have just known the manager on a personal level. An old school friend or something. Whatever it was, it wasn't her place really to speculate. After all, it might have been rude.

She gave herself a look over once again. She'd last worn this dress a few years earlier, while she was still pregnant, to her cousin's wedding. She remembered everyone giving her looks due to her baby bump at the time. Thankfully, any look Elsa would give her in this would be of a more positive nature.

For a few moments, she fiddled with the back of the dress again. It still felt a little too loose. After all, she'd last worn it when her belly was three sizes larger, plus in the years since then, she'd lost quite a bit of weight. Quite surprising for a woman who was addicted to chocolate.

As Anna figured she was finally ready, she heard the doorbell ring.

_Ding-Dong!_

"Mom! Ariel's here!" Jessie called from her room.

"Right, on my way," Anna said. She then quickly sorted her makeup out and with that, she was finally ready for her date with the woman of her dreams.

She headed downstairs and opened the front door, seeing Ariel at the door. The redhead greeted her with a very wide grin. Anna knew she'd never seen her look so pretty before.

"Hey, Anna!" Ariel said. She then looked her over and then gave her a slight smirk. "Wow, you look snazzy. Elsa's a lucky woman."

"Uh thanks," Anna admitted, blushing. She wasn't used to getting such flattering compliments, especially from her best friend.

Jessie skipped downstairs just then, hugging her mother at the door. "I hope you get to kiss your Queen, Mommy."

Anna blushed a slightly deeper. "What makes you say that?"

"Well... she's much too pretty to be a princess," Jessie said. "So she must be a queen. Like the Snow Queen from Olaf."

Ariel smirked. "So does this mean I have to refer to you as your majesty?"

"Stop it, both of you," Anna said with a giggle. "Seriously, if I laugh tonight, I'll ruin my makeup."

Although, Jessie did have a bit of a point. Anna did always think the Snow Queen was very beautiful, even for a woman in a children's cartoon, and she did bear a slight resemblance to Elsa, especially in the eyes... Anna stopped herself. Probably just a crazy coincidence.

Once Jessie headed to Ariel's car and Anna's friend had made sure her seatbelt was done up, Ariel walked back to the door and put a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you'll be okay? Want me to give you a lift after we drop Jessie off?"

"No, I'll be fine," Anna assured her, before she sighed. She was feeling a little nervous about all this. "My first date in five years... at least I won't get pregnant this time, I hope."

Ariel smiled. "Well... if anything does happen, you'll call me alright?"

Anna nodded. "I will."

After Ariel left with Jessie in tow, Anna got into her own car and started up the engine. She breathed easily, before typing in the location of the restaurant into her sat-nav. It wasn't that far from her house, so it would be a simple and easy drive.

She hoped she hadn't been keeping Elsa waiting too long, but if she had, she was sure the blonde would understand.

"Right... date time," Anna said, before pulling out of her driveway.

xXx

Elsa sat at the table in the corner of the restaurant, looking at her watch. Anna said she'd try and be on time, but Elsa had a feeling Anna liked to be fashionably late.

It was Elsa's first date in a long time as well. She was surprised this old grey pantsuit of hers fit her. She wasn't wearing a tie, just had her shirt undone at the top. She was also wearing her contact lenses instead of glasses. They didn't really fit this outfit too much.

Cass told her a long time ago that she'd won over Rapunzel wearing an outfit similar to this. Perhaps lightning would strike twice in her favour, at least she hoped it would. Lightning was a very fickle thing after all. There was no telling when it would strike.

Breathing easily to relax, Elsa tried to not feel too anxious. She hadn't felt like this in a very long time, not since the first episode of Olaf had aired or her very first date with Belle. This was a big step for her... but Elsa was very sure she wanted to take it.

Just then, Elsa saw Anna walk through the front door of the restaurant. That dress... well it looked absolutely gorgeous on her, there was no doubt about that. The way she strode through the doors, the way her cheeks glowed, her freckles peppered her face.

Elsa was hopelessly in love and she knew it. She just stared for a few moments, completely enamoured with Anna in that dress. It had been a very long time since she'd seen a girl she liked looking that good.

For a minute or two, Anna seemed to be a little lost, but then she saw Elsa sat in the corner by the window, clearly the best seat in the house. She walked over and Elsa smiled over at her.

"Hi," Anna said, grinning.

"Hi," Elsa replied, as Anna sat down. "You look beautiful."

"You look beautifuller... well not fuller, I mean we are in a restaurant but," Anna shook her head. "Ugh, sorry, not been on a date in ages."

"You're doing fine so far," Elsa said. She then moved to pull Anna's chair out for her, being the gentlewoman she was.

"My goodness, you're very chivalrous."

"My mother told me to always be polite to a woman," Elsa responded with a grin.

Anna sat down and stared across at Elsa, beaming. Elsa had to admit, Anna had the best smile out of all the women she'd been with. The strawberry blonde blinked and sighed dreamily. Both of them were with the woman they loved and they didn't want the happy moment to end.

"You know... I don't think I ever said how beautiful your eyes look," Anna admitted. "But if I'm honest... I think you look better with glasses."

Elsa laughed. "I wanted a change tonight. Something different for you, you know?"

"Well... it's a good different," Anna agreed. She then picked up the menu, wondering what to order. "So since you've eaten here before, what should I get?"

"Well, the spaghetti bolognese is good as I said before, but if you're not into that I like the chicken piccata."

"I'll try that."

At that, the waiter walked up. He was a rather tall man, with receding hair and a very bushy moustache. As he saw Elsa, he smiled widely at her. "Ah, _Buongiorno_, Miss Elsa! Good to see you and _Buon Natale_!"

"_Buon Natale_?" Anna wondered, confused.

Anna's date laughed and she shook the waiter's hand. "_Buon Natale_, Mario. How is Pesca?"

"Oh, she's doing well and so are the children!" He said with pride. Clearly, Elsa and the waiter knew each other. Then he noticed Anna. "Oh, and who is this lovely young lady, here?"

"Ah, this is Anna."

The waiter took her hand and kissed it in a respectful manner "Ah, _Buongiorno, Signora_. We do not get beautiful women in here often... save for Miss Elsa of course."

"Mario, watch it, there," the blonde said with a grin

Anna was still confused, but smiled anyway, realising it was better to just be polite. "Uh, thanks... so can we order now?"

"Of course!"

After they'd ordered, Anna looked over at Elsa. She was really enjoying the date so far, even if the waiter had been a bit exuberant, even by her standards. But she was in the company of the woman she loved, a woman who she just couldn't take her eyes off.

Elsa wore that suit so well. The way it just fit her figure so splendidly, the way the collar was undone and Anna could get a slight glimpse of a bit more of Elsa's beautiful pale skin. Elsa was the most beautiful woman Anna had ever seen and she was definitely going to remind her of that fact constantly.

"So uhh... what does _Buon Natale_ mean?"

"Merry Christmas in Italian."

"Oh! Like the Nat King Cole song!"

"Yup." Elsa grinned and she and Anna leaned in closer.

Anna's hand reached over and touched Elsa's own. Her skin was so soft. Anna brought the hand up to her cheek and let it stroke her. She rested her head on the hand and gazed at Elsa lovingly. The whole world just faded away, leaving the two of them together.

"I... I could get used to this," she admitted, taking Elsa's hands into her own. "Being in a fancy place... with a woman like you."

Elsa looked down as Anna held her hands so softly and delicately. She blushed as their hands joined together, Anna holding her fingers tightly. Elsa looked into Anna's teal eyes. She felt so deeply in love and wanted to profess everything right there and then.

"You... you've brought a little light into my world, Anna," Elsa expressed. "I want to tell you everything but..."

"But what?"

A sense of worry crept over Elsa. "I've been under a lot of stress lately, and you have your kid to look after. I don't wanna be a burden on you."

"No, you aren't a burden," Anna said. "Just tell me everything."

With that reassurance, Elsa knew now was the right time. Now was the right moment to tell Anna the truth about her life, to finally let her into her little world. "Well... you know how I had that sketchbook in my bag the other day?"

"Yeah, I figured you'd be an artist or something," Anna admitted.

"It's... a bit more than just that," Elsa stated. "I'm an animator. I work at a studio here in the city. I think you're familiar with my line of work."

"I... I don't think so," Anna said.

"Does the name Olaf The Happy Snowman ring a bell?"

With those few words, Anna's jaw dropped. That was definitely not what any of her predictions had been at all. She stared for a few moments, struggling to find the right words. "Wait... you mean... that's you? I mean holy shit, I.." She strawberry blonde was speechless.

Elsa grinned sheepishly. "Yup."

"I...wait that's how you got the plushie, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I was walking around seeing what was what that night. I'd been kinda having doubts about Olaf as a show, but then when I saw the asshat grab that one from the display...well, Olaf himself wouldn't have been pleased. So... I decided to take a leaf out of his book and help you out."

"And it was... very good of you to do that... holy shit." Anna tried her best not to squeal. "Jessie will freak out when I tell her."

Elsa chuckled. "I bet she will, but just uhhh... try and keep it as much of a secret as you can okay? I'm not... really all that used to dealing with all the attention and publicity."

"Oh, I promise," Anna stated. "Girl scouts honour."

"You were in the girl scouts?"

"I was uhh... the typical goody girl when I was younger," Anna admitted.

Elsa grinned. "So did you go around selling cookies?"

"Yeah," Anna said. "But a lot of the time I kinda ate them for myself."

"So much for being a goodie two shoes," Elsa said with a smirk.

xXx

The moon was shining on the fallen snow as they walked home, well technically not home for Anna. After they'd had dessert (in the form of chocolate sundaes that Anna had adored), Elsa had invited Anna back to her apartment. After all, it wasn't that far and Anna's car was still nearby.

With the sound of Christmas music playing from shops on the street they were walking by, Anna rested her head on Elsa's shoulder, wrapped in the blonde's coat. She felt warm and safe with Elsa, like she would protect her from everything that was sent her way.

"Ahhh, I just love this time of year!" Anna said, walking past all of the Christmas displays

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"The snow, the food," Anna said, before booping Elsa on the nose. "And the cheesy music."

Elsa grinned. "Yeah, I love this time of year too." She looked over at the snow on the ground. "Where I grew up, it was like this all the time. Snow covering everywhere you looked."

"Is that what inspired you to make Olaf?"

"You could say that," Elsa replied. "I didn't have many friends when I was little, so I would always build snowmen to keep me company. Although I can't really do that now. It's kinda hard to build a snowman on an apartment balcony."

Anna nudged Elsa's elbow playfully. "So... does this mean I get to hear what the new Olaf episodes are about?"

Elsa laughed. "No, I don't give out spoilers that easily."

Eventually, they arrived at Elsa's apartment, Anna smiling as she entered the blonde's humble abode. Considering Elsa was the creator of one of the most popular cartoons out there, Anna figured she'd be living in a penthouse or something.

But no, it was just an average, run of the mill apartment, with dark green wallpaper and a wood floor. Elsa clearly liked to keep the place simple and functional.

"So this is where the magic happens," Anna admitted.

"Not entirely, but some of it," Elsa said.

As Anna took off her shoes and jacket and walked into the front room, she noticed the Christmas tree up in the corner of the room. She was quite pleased to have helped Elsa pick it out, with Jessie's assistance of course. Although, Anna was surprised it was up already.

Elsa looked over at the tree, still not sure if it still was just the way that she wanted, but it was still quite a quaint sight.

"Hey! Your tree is up!"

"Yeah. Took me a while but I got it," Elsa expressed. "I'm still not sure if I like how I set the decorations up."

"It looks good!" Anna said, plopping herself on the couch.

Then, Snowy crawled up to Anna and meowed. The cat eyed Anna with her bright blue eyes, curious as to the stranger that had entered her domain and why she was staring back at her with eyes full of adoration and wonder.

"Awww, is this Snowy?" Anna wondered, squealing internally from how adorable the kitten was. "She's so cute!"

"Yup."

Anna leaned down and let the cat sniff her. Once the cat figured she was friendly, she snuggled up to her and purred happily. Anna melted, happy to be chosen by such an adorable cat. She reached down with her hand and stroked the cat's soft fur.

Elsa's eyes widened. "Wow... she never does that for anyone I bring home. Not even my work buddies."

Grinning, Anna picked up the kitten and nuzzled her with her nose. "Aw, she's just adorable, aren't you little one? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!" She nuzzled Snowy more. "Who's a good girl!"

Elsa giggled. "You're pretty adorable yourself."

Anna blushed at the compliment, putting the kitten down. She smiled, remembering when she used to do that to Jessie when she was a little baby. It didn't really work now though, since her little girl was getting a bit old for that sort of thing.

As Elsa took off her own jacket, she headed into the kitchen. "So... when did you tell that friend of yours you were going to be picking up your kid?"

"Kinda late," Anna said. "I think we've got a few hours together."

"Plenty of time then," Elsa said, getting herself some coffee. "You want some coffee?"

"No, I'm good," Anna answered. "I try not to drink caffeine this late. It does really bad things to me."

"I see. I have some decaf tea if you'd like."

"No, I'm good really. I had plenty to drink at the restaurant." Anna rubbed her stomach. "Maybe a bit too much... can I use your bathroom?"

"Go right ahead, my place is yours for the evening," Elsa insisted.

After making herself a cup of tea, Elsa went down to the couch, letting Snowy join her. She blushed as she thought of the fact Anna was in her apartment now, and happy to be here. Finally, an actual girl who truly loved her was in her own home.

Elsa wondered how best she might spend these next few hours. She had a few board games she kept from when Belle was living with her, and tons of old movies. Perhaps Anna would appreciate getting a chance to see some of the concept drawings in her office.

Or... Anna might be interested in more intimate affairs. Elsa's thoughts were suddenly filled with the thought of Anna pulling her shirt off and Elsa slipping her lover from her dress. They could fully express their undying love for one another, explore themselves, Elsa could finally escape her depression by joining with Anna...

The blonde was suddenly brought out of her trance as Anna then joined her on the couch, smiling as she scooched up close to her. "Something on your mind?"

"Umm... maybe," Elsa said, trying to hide her embarrassed rosy cheeks behind her cup as she took a sip of her tea.

Anna leaned in closer as she sat on the couch with Elsa. Dinner had been wonderful, but the best thing was being in Elsa's company in her quaint little home. She smelled the air, taking in the scent of Elsa's perfume. It was a beautiful fragrance.

Reaching out, Elsa then tilted Anna's chin upwards nervously, but gladly. Anna was just breathtaking in every way. She partly wanted her to stay forever, but would settle for tonight. She... she wanted this. She wanted to take Anna into her arms and never let her go.

"Elsa... I feel so close to you," Anna admitted.

"Me too," Elsa whispered, her face moving closer to Anna, both of their faces now inches apart."You... you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Smiling widely, Anna held both of Elsa's hands. interlocking fingers with her. "Have you... had any girlfriends before?"

Elsa sighed. "Yes... I dated a girl named Belle for three years. She was so sweet to me, but then she dumped me a few months back. I've been in a depressed slump ever since."

"What a bitch," Anna said.

"It's fine... you've helped me get over her."

"I'm glad I did."

"Yeah...Anna?"

"Yes?"

"Would you think it too forward of me to kiss you right now?"

"I... I don't think so," Anna stuttered a little. After all... their lips were really close.

Then, Anna leaned in closer, eyes hungry for Elsa. She wanted to undress this woman, caress her, hold her close. She wanted nothing more than to love her unconditionally. She closed her eyes, preparing for the soft, beautiful touch of Elsa's lips.

Moving her hands towards Anna, Elsa brought herself closer, eyes closing. Yes, she and Anna were finally going to kiss. She wanted to kiss Anna and never let this stop. She didn't want Anna to go. She wanted her to stay, so this bliss, this happiness would never stop.

Anna's hands snaked around her, tilting her head to one side. Just a few more seconds and they would finally kiss. Anna would have let what had happened with Hans all those years ago. But a split second before her lips were even going to brush against Elsa's own, Anna thought.

Elsa was vulnerable, alone, and she... was taking advantage of her. This wasn't healthy for both of them and all of this was all going too fast.

"Wait, stop," Anna said.

"No, it's fine," Elsa insisted.

"No, I... I don't want this," Anna replied. "You were right... it's too fast, Elsa."

"I...I wasn't..."

"I... I don't know," Anna was starting to panic. She looked at Elsa who was now seemingly starting to get visibly upset "What... what am I getting myself into here..."

"No, I don't mind it," Elsa stated. "It's okay." She tried to lean in again, but then Anna pushed her away.

"No.. stop please." Anna got up. "I'm sorry..." She felt so guilty. The only right thing to do was to leave Elsa in peace. She walked over to where her coat hung, looking over her shoulder at Elsa. "I-I should go."

"No," Elsa said, going up to Anna. "Stay, it's fine."

"It isn't, I feel horrible for taking advantage of you."

"Anna, what the fuck are you going on about?"

"I just had dirty thoughts of fucking you against the wall!"

"So?"

"So... aren't you a little grossed out?"

Elsa shook her head. "No! No, not at all. I'd be lying if I wasn't thinking about that too." Elsa then clapped a hand over her mouth. She didn't want to have let that slip. "...oh hell. I didn't mean to, I-"

Anna's eyes widened. Her panic turned into frustration at Elsa. "Wait were you... oh god..."

"No, Anna, it wasn't like that!" Elsa insisted. "I mean, it was but..."

"You were gonna... use me for sex weren't you," Anna remarked. "You just said it yourself you were using me to help you get over Belle."

"No, that's not true!" Elsa argued. "Anna, I do like you, genuinely like you!"

"I... I won't get used again..." Anna was very much panicking now. Anxiety was flaring up all through her body. She remembered Hans, how he said he loved her and that he didn't want to see her get hurt. All so he could knock her up with his daughter.

She tried to leave, but then Elsa grabbed her arm. "Anna, calm down! It's alright!"

"Let go of my arm!"

"Not until you calm down," Elsa insisted. "You're worrying over nothing!"

Anna grabbed her arm away. "I... I don't think you're right for me..."

"Anna, I..."

"Merry Christmas, Elsa." The redhead went out the door, leaving Elsa alone.

Elsa fell to her knees as the door slammed behind her. Elsa slumped back down on the couch and then she broke down in tears. She didn't want to have suffered heartbreak again... and yet here it was. Her cat tried to curl up next to her, but Elsa just sobbed.

She needed an escape... she needed to drive this sadness away. She headed towards the kitchen, sifting through the cupboards. Finally... she found her release.

"I'm sorry..."

xXx

"And then she looked at me as if I was crazy!" Rapunzel remarked as she and Cass drove together. "Like, I'm twenty-three years old, if I want a goddamn cuddly snowman, I want one."

"Ugh, people like that are the worst," Cass agreed. "I'm surprised you were able to find an Olaf, Raps. Elsa said her new girlfriend couldn't find one in any store."

"Me neither, till I started going through the thrift stores," Rapunzel admitted. "Speaking of Elsa... how do you think her date went last night?"

Cass sighed. "Should we really be placing bets on that? I think we've gotten involved enough in Elsa's little affair with this Anna girl."

"We're her friends, Cass. And this was her first date since Belle left her. It's a big deal!"

Cass and Rapunzel always drove to work together every morning. After all, they lived together, slept together, ate together, worked together, why not carpool together. But Cass knew their morning journies would end up being some of the craziest conversations about pretty much anything.

Rapunzel was quite a crazy woman, and honestly, that was what had driven Cass to her in the first place. That and she was really good in the bedroom, although she wouldn't state that publicly. She was glad that the holidays would soon be here and they could both get two weeks off work to spend with each other as they pleased.

Soon, the two of them had arrived at work, Cass parking in their usual spot. Strangely, the parking space next to theirs was empty. It was usually occupied by Elsa's car. Perhaps she and Rapunzel really were early for work for once. As they made their way into the studio, Cass and Rapunzel saw the others had arrived.

Most of the other senior staff were there. Moana was cleaning her desk and Honeymaren was just logging onto her computer to continue her work from the other night, working on the new computer models for the next season of Olaf.

Even Eugene, a friend of theirs who was notoriously not on time, was there, getting a cup of coffee in the break room. Something was very off with all of this and Cass knew it.

"That's odd," Cass noted.

Rapunzel looked over at her. "What's wrong, Cass?"

"Elsa's not here," Cass realised. She walked around, looking through every nook and cranny, but no sign of her. "Huh? That's so weird." Elsa's car wasn't there and she wasn't in the office. That was very uncharacteristic of their head animator and producer.

She walked out of Elsa's office to the main area of the studio, making sure that Elsa just hadn't come in that last minute. Cass frowned. She wanted to get to the bottom of this. "Hey, has anyone seen Elsa today?"

"I haven't seen her," Honeymaren added.

"Me neither," Eugene said. "And blondie is never this late."

"This is very, very strange," Cass remarked. "Elsa's not been late for work for the past two years."

Then in walked the secretary, Jasmine. "I just got a call from Elsa's landlady. A UPS was supposed to deliver to her. There was no answer."

Rapunzel then remembered. "Wait a second, she had that date the night before. Maybe something bad happened."

Panic started to flare up within Cassandra, but she remained calm. She was the second-in-command around here. If she was shown being scared, then the morale would be completely lost around here. She had to go and find Elsa and see if she was alright."

"Okay, Honeymaren, you got the place, Raps, we're going." Cass walked over and grabbed her coat.

"You think she's okay?" Honeymaren wondered.

Cass sighed. "To be honest... I don't know."

"Let's hope that she is," Rapunzel stated.

xXx

Cass and Rapunzel knew the way to Elsa's apartment. They'd been round to her place a few times since they'd all become friends. She remembered fondly the last time they'd been to dinner with Elsa and she cooked them that old family recipe of hers.

And now, she was just worried about what had happened to Elsa. What had happened to her during that date? Had Anna hurt her in some way? Had a burglar broken into her home? She had to stay calm, stay focused. It was pointless to speculate at this point.

Rapunzel was lost in thought as well. She'd known Elsa for a long time, so to see her not show up for work and not even answer her door was very out of character. She looked out of the window, seeing the familiar sight of the apartment building.

As they drove up to the front door, Cass got out of the car and looked through the window at Rapunzel.

"Wait here, Raps," Cass said. "If Elsa's badly hurt..."

"I'll be here for the ambulance," Rapunzel stated. "I'm sure it's not that bad... right?"

"It could be anything," Cass insisted. "If it's that bad, I'll call you."

Cass walked into the building, finding the place conspicuously empty. It was also very cold, which didn't help the anxiety building within Cass. As she walked through the hallowed halls of the building, she soon found herself on the right floor.

Heading up to Elsa's front door, Cass knocked on it. There wasn't any response. Cass rattled on the door handle, hoping that would get Elsa's attention, if she was inside and alive.

"Elsa... you in there?"

A low groaning noise emanated from the apartment. Cass's eyes widened. That was definitely Elsa's voice alright... and she didn't sound well. She didn't know if she was sick or hurt. "Elsa, are you okay?"

Elsa groaned again.

Cass forced the door open with her elbow. "Elsa!" she cried. Then she saw as the apartment was a complete state. The tree and its decorations were on the floor, paintings had been smashed, Elsa's cat was nowhere to be found, and then she saw Elsa herself.

She was lying on the floor, with a half-filled glass of wine in her hand.

The brunette's heart broke. "Oh, Elsa..."

xXx

**Author's note: **Okay I won't lie, this is probably the longest chapter I've had to edit in a very long time lol and is the longest chapter in the fic by far. Sorry to leave you on such an angsty note, but I promise the last two chapters are fixing all the horrible shit that happened at the end of this one. Sorry, I'm like Noelle Stevenson, in that I like writing Angsty lesbians xD

I probably should let you folks know that I'm probably gonna not publish for a bit after the end of this story. Don't worry, the last two chapters will hopefully be edited and put out next week, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but don't expect any new things from me for a while. I need a big long break for the holidays lol.

Anyway, see you soon!


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Anna groaned as she felt the bright lights fill her front room. The light was almost stinging her eyes and there was a deep ache in her head. The whole world seemed blurry and groggy. Anna could barely sit up in her own bed. As she finally sat up, she hugged her legs.

It had been a long night and Anna didn't even remember half of it. She remembered picking Jessie up from Ariel's house and getting her to bed, but the rest was a blank. Something had happened... something involving her drinking something and before that... she'd been arguing with someone.

Then she saw the empty wine bottle beside her bed. That explained the massive migraine she was having. Then it all came back to her... how she had freaked out over Elsa, about how they were moving too fast and how she thought Elsa was probably using her to get over her own ex-girlfriend.

Why did she panic like that? Everything was going perfect... she had ruined things as usual. She cried a little, feeling ashamed of herself. It was a mystery why she'd panicked like that. Maybe it was the fact that it had been so long since someone had tried anything sexual with her? Maybe her fear just took over in that instant.

Whatever the reason, Anna knew Elsa wasn't probably going to forgive her for it.

Just then Anna heard the soft noise of footsteps walking to her door.

"Mommy?"

Anna looked over from the covers and saw Jessie stood in the doorway. Her heart broke as she saw her daughter, staring at the broken shell of her mother. "Oh... hey sweetie."

"Are you okay?" Jessie asked. "I heard you crying last night."

The redhead sighed. She had to be honest with her daughter and try and explain things to her in a way a little five-year-old girl would understand.. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean for you to hear me... Mommy was just feeling very sad." She held out her arms. "Come here... Mommy needs a hug."

Jessie got on the bed and Anna hugged her tightly. She felt even more regret after letting her Daughter get dragged into all this. But she was determined to fix this mess. Perhaps... she'd even try fixing things with Elsa... maybe. But Anna knew she needed to help herself first.

"Are you sad because something happened with you and that Elsa lady?"

Anna nodded. "Yes... Mommy made a mistake and we got upset."

"Are you gonna say sorry to her?"

Thinking a moment, Anna knew she wanted to say sorry. Even if Elsa wasn't going to forgive her... at least Anna would be able to tie up her loose ends over that. After all, she'd been carrying the burden of what happened with Hans for five years. The last thing she wanted was her attempt at a relationship again to go just as sour.

"Yes... I think I will, but I'm still a little sad over it."

Jessie then noticed the wine bottle. "What's that?"

A brief moment of panic washed over Anna, as she wondered how best to word it. How would someone try and explain alcohol to a little girl. After a moment of thinking, Anna figured she had a good answer. "That's... Mommy's sad drink. She only drinks it when she's really, really sad, to try and make her feel better."

"Did it make you feel better?"

Her mother looked down. "No... not really. Promise me you won't let yourself get so sad that you're forced to drink that stuff okay?"

"I promise," Jessie said with a smile. Anna knew she'd probably keep that promise.

Anna grinned. "Good girl... now how about we have breakfast then go watch cartoons."

"Yay!" Jessie cheered before running out of the room.

Groaning as she slumped from her bed, Anna stumbled to her feet and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked like death itself. Deep bags under her eyes and her skin looking very wrinkled and worn. She looked liked she'd aged ten years in one night of sleep.

She hated how she'd drunk herself like that. How Jessie had seen her? What kind of a mother was she, letting herself get so sad and depressed in front of her little girl. Jessie needed a good role model in life and Anna... wasn't being that at all.

She decided that right now she would focus on having a great Christmas with Jessie. And from this moment on... no more alcohol. She couldn't risk letting Jessie see her as a depressed drunk woman. Anna was better than that. She had to be.

After she'd gotten herself cleaned up and dressed, she headed downstairs to have breakfast with Jessie. She tried to make sure she still looked happy in front of her little girl. The last thing she wanted was her little girl to be worried sick about her own mother.

When breakfast was over with, the two of them curled up on the couch in blankets to watch cartoons. They'd always done this, every Saturday morning. Anna wondered if when Jessie was old enough they could watch some of the cartoons she'd grown up with, like Ninja Turtles and Batman.

Anna smiled as her little girl was snuggled up beside her. They watched cartoons for most of that morning, Anna doing her best to forget about what had happened the night before and focus on trying to recover.

However, as she saw one of the many commercial breaks ending, Anna then saw the next cartoon on was... Olaf the Happy Snowman.

Normally, she would have been happy to watch her favourite show, but now that she knew that Elsa was the one who created it... well she felt a little empty inside. That Elsa, in her proud work as showrunner, had made one of the most wholesome cartoons in the world... and Anna had only brought darkness to that woman's life.

Jessie then looked up at Anna, noticing her mother was visibly depressed. "Hey, Mommy, what's wrong, you usually love Olaf."

"I do, but Mommy is still a little sad," Anna assured her daughter.

"Oh... Okay."

Anna sighed as the usual opening credits skipped forwards. It was such a happy, cheerful song that would have made Anna's face broaden into a grin.

But all Anna could feel was reminders of the woman who had put her heart and soul into this show. A woman who's heart... she'd probably just broken.

The episode title then came up. "The Queen's Lament."

It certainly wasn't an episode they'd seen before, that was for certain.

xXx

_It was a cold and mystical afternoon in the kingdom of Arendelle, a land known for its neverending winter and constant snowfall. Not that the citizens minded, of course. It was a reality of the kingdom being so far north and being the homeland of one of the most powerful elementals in the world._

_On top of the largest mountain in the land, Olaf waddled up the snowy slope to the Snow Queen's massive ice palace, saying a cheerful hello to all the various ice creatures the Queen had made. It delighted him greatly as the various creatures and snowmen were like his extended family._

_The palace itself was truly a wonder of the world. Made of the finest ice at the Queen's command, It stood almost as tall as the mountain peak that it rested against. Atop the palace was a spire topped with a snowflake, the aura of the building bringing a sense of wonder and enchantment to the frozen wilderness._

_As Olaf approached the massive gates, a giant snow monster stood to guard the palace from intruders. He really was a giant, standing much, much more than a head taller than Olaf. With a titanic figure, massive arms that were covered in spikes and empty, cold sockets instead of eyes._

_"Who approaches!" he bellowed loudly._

_"It's me, Olaf!" the little snowman waved cheerfully. "Hi, Marshmallow!"_

_The titan smiled a little, leaning down towards him. "Oh. Hello, Olaf."_

_"Hey big fella, can you let me in?"_

_Marshmallow shook his head. "No, Queen is busy."_

_"But she asked me here!" Olaf chirped. "I remember, she sent a message on the icy winds."_

_"It's okay, Marshmallow," a kind, generous voice said. Both Marshmallow and Olaf looked up, staring in awe at the sight of their creator. Standing on the balcony of the castle was a woman with long platinum blonde hair in a hair braid. On her head was a glistening tiara and she wore a gorgeous blue dress made of the ice itself with a long flowing cape that sparkled in the sun._

_"Hi, Queenie!" _

_The Queen beamed as the giant gates opened, beckoning for Olaf to enter. The inside of the place was just as magnificent as the outside._

_"Come inside, Olaf. We can talk better there."_

_"Okay. See ya later, big fella!" The little snowman waddled in._

_As the giant doors closed behind, Olaf stared in awe at the magnificence of the Snow Queen's great chamber. The room took up most of the bottom floor of the palace, giving the Queen a place of solitude and peace to do whatever she pleased._

_Walking down the magnificent spiral staircase, The Queen smiled at her creation. "Make yourself comfortable, my little friend." She held up her hand, crafting a chair made of ice for him in a mere instant._

_The tiny snowman plopped onto the chair and held his feet in his twiggy arms. "So... what did you want me here for, Your Majesty?"_

_Sitting in front of him on an icy throne, the Queen gazed at him, but her smile turned into a frown and she sighed. This wasn't something she was fond of speaking about, but she felt she could trust Olaf with this. "I... I have a personal issue, Olaf, one that I am not comfortable with sharing with the rest of my subjects."_

_"Oh... what's wrong?" Olaf wondered. "You seem sad? Was someone being mean to you?" He pouted. "It wasn't that Prince from the south was it?"_

_"Oh no, no one has been mean to me," The Queen assured him. "And you know I dealt with him after he tried to woo Princess Annika." The woman then looked down. "It's just... do you remember when I first made you, Olaf?" She smiled, reflecting on happier memories. "Back when I was a little girl?"_

_"Yes, I was the first thing you ever brought to life with your powers," Olaf chirped. "You made me because you didn't have any other friends. The other kids hated you because of your magic."_

_The Queen nodded. "Yes, and after that, I ran away and made my home here with you and my other creations. But since I let you and the snowgies explore the human world... I can't help but feel a familiar sensation. I'm.." there was a deep pause. "I'm... lonely Olaf."_

_"Oh, then why don't you just make another snowman like me?" the little snowman wondered. "I mean... I always wondered what having a twin would be like."_

_The Queen blushed a little. "I... I don't think I want to make another snowman, Olaf. I..." She was getting quite embarrassed over this. Olaf had such a simple mind and she didn't want to confuse him._

_However, Olaf soon realised what the Queen wanted and he smiled. "...oh. I getcha, you want to have someone to give warm hugs to, too."_

_"I do. A lot." She rubbed the back of her head. "And... possibly more than hugs... I want someone to love, Olaf."_

_The snowman sat rubbing his chin. Then he grinned brightly. "I've got it!"_

_"What?"_

_"Let's throw a big party in Arendelle and invite people from all over the kingdom and beyond!" Olaf suggested. "Then you might be able to find someone then! I mean there will be so many people there! You're bound to find someone you wanna love!"_

_"You... think that will work?"_

_"Yeah, I mean Princess Annika met that Prince at a party she was having," Olaf replied. "She gets invites a lot, but I don't think she goes to them. I think she'd rather stay here."_

_"I see... Tell me, when Princess Annika is at these parties, does she have a particular type of person she looks for or does she like to get on with everyone?"_

_"Oh no," Olaf admitted. "She says she's quite picky on who she is friends with."_

_The Queen smiled. "Then... I will have to ask her to help me with this party of my own." She grinned and hugged Olaf tightly. "Thank you, my little friend."_

_Olaf hugged her back. "You're welcome... ooh, you really do give the best warm hugs!"_

xXx

Anna's eyes just opened wide when she saw the Queen hug Olaf. The kindness the Queen had for him, the fact she wanted to be in love and be happy with someone... it all reminded her of someone in particular. Then it finally came to her.

The Snow Queen... Elsa had based the Queen on herself and had written this episode while she was depressed from her breakup. She couldn't bear to see herself sad and neither could Anna. Everything made so much sense now... and Anna knew what she had to do.

"Awwwwww, Olaf is so sweet," Jessie said.

Her mother felt a little smile appear as she felt warmth go through her. Olaf was sweet... and he was the one who in a way, had brought her and Elsa together in the first place. She wasn't going to let last night tear what she and Elsa had apart.

"Yes. Yes, he is, honey. God, I'm an idiot."

"What?"

"I'll tell you later," Anna replied, kissing her on the cheek. She then got off the couch and stretched. "Right now, I've got a phone call to make."

"Are we gonna watch the rest of Olaf?" Jessie wondered.

"You can keep watching it!" Anna chirped. "Just uh... tell me what happens when I get back okay?"

"Sure thing, Mommy!"

"That's my girl!"

Anna then left the room and went upstairs to her bedroom. Thankfully, her phone was there, plugged into its charger. She went to her phone and picked it up. She sighed in relief when she saw that Elsa's phone number was still in the contacts.

Thankfully, in her drunken depression the night before she hadn't deleted it. But even though she still had the number, she didn't know what would happen when she called it. But she had to at least try. She pressed the call button and held it to her ear.

The seconds ticked on by as the phone kept buzzing as it tried to connect her to the receiver. It was agony to wait. She hoped that someone would respond, but she wouldn't be surprised if it just went to voicemail. In that case... well she didn't really have a plan B.

"Come on... come on, pick up," Anna urged.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the phone picked up and Anna was met with a voice on the other end. It wasn't Elsa though. It was a woman, but a lot more mature than Elsa, with a slight Latina accent. They seemed rather stern.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Hi, my name's Anna... is Elsa there by any chance?"

"Wait... you're Anna?"

"Yeah, who're you?"

"My name's Cassandra... I work with Elsa at the studio." There was a pause. "Elsa told us about you. She said you made her happy and smile. How could you break her heart like this?"

"Look, I panicked and I'm heartbroken too, but I want to fix this," Anna argued. "Please, let me speak to her."

"...I don't think Elsa wants to come to the phone right now."

Anna deflated slightly. She dreaded the thought of what had happened to Elsa in her absence. Was she... no she couldn't think about that. "How... how is she?"

"I think you should just hang up right now and never talk to her again."

"No, I won't," Anna insisted. "I... I realise how much she means to me and I mean to her, so please, for the love of all that is holy at this time of year, put her on the goddamn phone."

"I won't warn you again, get off the phone now," Cass ordered.

"Fine, just tell her that I'm sorry!" Anna shouted, before she then heard Cass hang up. "Hello?... Hello?" She grew very frustrated and threw the phone onto the bed in a rage.

So much for trying to call Elsa. She felt her blood boil and how much of an idiot she felt. Part of her wanted to punch Cassandra, whoever she was. But Anna calmed down, realising that anger and rage weren't going to get her anyway with this.

"Fuck," she swore, as Anna then sighed. "Fine... I'll just need to do this the old fashioned way."

xXx

Elsa sat curled up by the window in a blue jumper with the words "Just let it go" written on it. It was a few sizes too big for her, but she didn't care. She was clutching a cup of coffee in her hands, feeling the warmth flow back into her.

She'd spent most of the morning sobering up and recovering from her rather traumatic experience the night before. She didn't blame Anna for getting upset and felt very regretful for everything that had happened, but her own mental health came first.

Thankfully, her apartment wasn't in too much of a mess. Cass had managed to put her Christmas tree upright and found all the decorations. She'd even coaxed Snowy out of her hiding spot under Elsa's bed and Elsa had profusely apologised to her kitten.

As Elsa was staring out of the window at the snow-covered street below her, Cass walked into the room. "Hey, how you feeling?"

"A bit better now, all things considered," Elsa replied. "Is there... something wrong?"

"Elsa," Cass then spoke "... someone just called your phone."

"Who was it?" Elsa wondered.

Cass looked down, not sure how to break the news to her. Elsa already knew who it was and why Cass was afraid to say anything.

The blonde sighed. "It was Anna wasn't it."

"I hung up on her," Cass replied. "She broke your heart, Elsa. I'm sorry, but I won't let what happened between you and Belle again."

"Anna panicked, and I was hard on her," Elsa argued her point. "You shouldn't have hung up."

"Look, maybe you'll see her again and you can make up," Cass urged. "But right now, you need to get your life back in order."

"And how the hell do I do that?" Elsa wondered. "This breakdown with Anna set me back about eight months... I feel like I lost Belle all over again."

"Hey, none of that," Cass stated. "First, finish your coffee. Then we'll brainstorm."

"And then what? We just pretend that this didn't happen?" Elsa remarked. "It's my fault too Cass... I should never have tried to kiss her."

"Hey, these things happen. We all make mistakes on first dates," Cass said. "My first date with Raps went pretty shit remember?"

"Yeah, it was!" Rapunzel chirped.

Elsa looked over and saw Rapunzel in the doorway. She didn't know Cass had brought her with her, but then again, she wasn't exactly surprised.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "I told you to stay outside, Raps," Cass instructed.

"Well, clearly there's no big emergency anymore," Rapunzel stated. "Hi, Elsa."

"Hey," Elsa replied. At that moment though... Elsa had a brainwave. What Cass had just said had finally made everything click. "...hold on...first date..." The blonde suddenly leapt up. "That's it!"

"Huh? What? What is?:

"Guys, my block is gone! And I know how I'm going to apologize to Anna."

Cass and Rapunzel looked at each other in confusion and amazement, before staring back at Elsa. "How?"

"You'll see," Elsa said. "But... you two should probably go, after you help me fully clean up my place. And then we have to call an emergency story meeting!"

Cass nodded. "That's my girl... I'm sorry, I hung up on Anna."

"What's done is done," Elsa replied. "But right now... I need to fix things with Anna. She's probably on her way here right now."

"How do you know that?"

"Because... I know that's what I'd do in her place."

Cass nodded. "I... I understand."

Rapunzel grinned. "This is gonna be like spring cleaning!... only four months early."

xXx

**Author's note: **So... I decided to put this chapter and the next one out a little early than expected. Sorry, to quote Elsa, it was agony to wait xD**. **But I do hope that you enjoy it! Also, special thanks to toph_themelonlord on AO3 for pointing out how the Animation side of Elsa's life actually works. I'll see if I can get round to editing the earlier chapters to correct those details.

See you for the last chapter really, really soon!


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

Elsa sat in solace, waiting for the moment Anna would arrive. Her apartment was miraculously back to normal, Cass and Rapunzel being efficient with the cleaning and tidying up. The place was almost sparkling from how clean and pristine the place looked.

It was a far cry from the state Elsa had left it in the night before, after her depressive state. Now, all she could hope for was Anna's arrival and the chance the two of them had to re-build and re-kindle what they'd had. She looked around for a few minutes, taking one good look at the place she'd called home for the last three years.

Her cat, Snowy, crawled onto her lap and she stroked her fur. She wriggled and curled up in just the most adorable manner that Elsa's heart practically melted at the sight. But in her opinion... Anna was actually cuter than her cat, not that she'd tell Snowy that.

"Sorry I scared you last night, little one," Elsa apologised again, although she'd done enough of that already. "I promise, it won't happen again."

The cat really didn't care. Shee just purred in content and rolled onto her back. Elsa smiled and gave her the usual belly rubs. She wasn't exactly the brightest of cats. As she scampered off, Elsa sighed and got up, going to the window again.

This place had been her home for three long years and Elsa had spent many a rough night. She'd been having this thought for some time... perhaps she should cast this place aside, in this fresh start for herself. It would all depend on what Anna would think.

A few minutes later, Elsa heard the sound of the door knocking.

"Elsa?" She heard Anna's voice.

"Anna," Elsa whispered in delight. She rushed to the door and opened it. Anna was standing in the doorway and was clearly shivering. Elsa wasn't surprised, considering Anna looked liked she'd run here in what seemed like her pyjamas.

"H-Hi," she said, stuttering a bit. "M-Mind if I come in? It's really freaking cold out here."

Elsa smiled. "Sure... I've been expecting you."

"Really?" Anna wondered.

The blonde nodded. "Yes, now come in out of the cold. The last thing I want is to see you die of hypothermia." She then stood to one side, allowing Anna to enter.

As she walked inside, Anna felt warmth instantly. She sighed in relief as she felt the heat from Elsa's radiator flow throughout the room." Oh, thank you! I kinda drove here in a mad dash and I stupidly forgot my jacket. Can you imagine how much of a klutz I feel?"

"A really big one?"

"Uh yeah," Anna admitted. "Oh shit, I left Jessie alone! Oh god, I've never done something so impulsively like this."

Elsa smiled and giggled a little. "She'll be fine, don't worry."

"She's five years old!"

"And a very mature and independent five year old from my recalling," Elsa said. "I'm sure she'll understand how important... this is to you."

Anna sighed. "I think I'll take some of that decaf tea you offered last night. I need to be warmed up a bit more."

"I'll get it right away," Elsa replied. "And then... we need a talk."

After getting Anna her promised tea, the two of them sat on Elsa's couch. Elsa was so glad that Anna was back and they were together again. Anna knew exactly what needed to be done. When she finished her drink, she moved in closer.

Knowing what her lover needed, Elsa opened her arms and Anna hugged her softly, crying a little. Elsa hugged her back, stroking her hair softly. Anna's hair felt like satin, soft and smooth to the touch, even if it was a little tangled from Anna's bedhead.

"I'm so... so freaking sorry I panicked last night. I... I just, you're the first person I've been with since Jessie's dad and I..."

"No, it was my fault too, I was the one who tried to kiss you in the first place," Elsa admitted, petting Anna. "And my friend Cass butting in probably didn't help much either."

"Is she here?"

"No, but I told her off on your behalf," Elsa said.

"Good, because I was like this close to punching her," Anna laughed.

"I wouldn't do that, she knows Jujitsu," Elsa said. She then held Anna's hand, and knew now was the moment to ask a very important question. "So... do you want to try this again?"

"Yes," Anna admitted. "But first... there's something I really have to say. It's important. Before I came here... I watched an episode of Olaf. The Snow Queen admitted to him that the reason she made him was that she was lonely, but she still feels lonely now. And I realised... you based her on yourself didn't you."

Elsa sighed. "I mean, yeah, I wrote that episode when I'd actually just broken up from Belle. They say real life often factors into an artists work."

"Well, Elsa... you're my Snow Queen and I won't let you be lonely." Anna moved in closer, her face inches from Elsa's own. This time, she wasn't going to panic and screw it all up. She would be right here, with the woman she knew she loved. "Elsa... I love you."

Elsa blushed and her heart melted. It had been so long since someone had said those words to her, honestly and lovingly. Her heart moved and then... she was the one who was starting to cry. "I..." She couldn't even find the words.

Cuddling closer, Anna touched foreheads with her, gazing into Elsa's sparkling eyes. "You... you dont have to say it back."

"No... I want too," Elsa sniffled. "Anna... I love you so much. I love loving you. You mean... you've become so important to me over the last few days and I-"

With those words, Anna closed the gap between them and kissed Elsa deeply. It made sense that she was the one to initiate the first kiss, making up for the fact that she hadn't the night before. Elsa kissed back almost immediately, wrapping her arms around Anna.

Happy couldn't describe how Elsa was feeling at that moment. Tears were streaking down her cheeks and she was feeling the soft, beautiful touch of Anna's lips against her own. She cupped Anna's cheeks and kept kissing her deeply and sweetly, pulling her closer.

Then they broke apart and Anna hugged Elsa tightly, wiping her tears. "Hey... you weren't supposed to cry."

Elsa chuckled, lifting up her glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I... I guess things really don't always go to plan in life, huh."

"I guess they don't," Anna agreed.

Pulling Anna's hands upward, Elsa kissed them, before gazing at Anna. "Anna... do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Absolutely!" Anna grinned. "I'd want nothing more than to be yours."

"You will always be mine, Anna," Elsa promised. "I will be good to you... and I already have something in mind to sweeten the deal."

Anna raised her eyebrow. "Oh?"

The blonde cleared her throat a little. "While I was waiting for you this morning, I got a bit of a brainwave on what I think is a good plan for season 3 of Olaf." She grinned. "The new storyline is...inspired by you."

Her heart stopping for a moment, Anna's eyes widened. Elsa, showrunner of hers and her daughter's favourite show... had based an upcoming episode on her. "Wait what?"

"That episode you watched... it was called the Queen's Lament wasn't it?" Elsa wondered.

"Yeah... why do you ask?"

Elsa sighed. "We didn't know how to follow that one up... but now I do. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to fully commit to it but.."

"Wait... are you..." Anna blushed.

A well of confidence rose up in Elsa and she nodded. "If I based the Queen on me... why don't I base her new girlfriend on you?"

"B-But I thought she was gonna hook up with the princess," Anna admitted. "I mean I kinda shipped her with her, especially after that douchey Prince guy showed up."

Elsa giggled. "I... did consider that. But honestly, I think the Snow Queen and Annika are more like sisters than lovers. Although... she could always go with that ice harvester girl."

"I can live with that," Anna admitted. "But I'm pretty sure Tumblr will be pissed."

"They have their fanfics," Elsa said with a smirk. "Quite well-written ones I might add."

Anna laughed. "Wait, you read fanfic of your own show?"

"Whose to say I don't write it?" Elsa remarked.

"Oh Elsa you sneaky-"

The blonde kissed her again and Anna melted, cupping her lover's soft cheeks. Anna giggled and wrapped around Elsa, pulling her on top of her. She purred a little and Elsa held Anna close, kissing her passionately. Then the blonde broke apart and they giggled.

"You are adorable," Elsa whispered.

"So are you," Anna replied.

Elsa kissed Anna on the nose. "Okay, let me get something to show you." Getting up from the couch, Elsa went over to her desk and picked up the sketchbook. She walked back over to Anna and showed it to her. She was very eager to see what she thought of it.

"This was a sketch I did just before you got here," Elsa said. "What do you think?"

On the paper was a woman with fiery red hair like Anna's and wearing a dress with flame patterns. Her hair, much like Anna's was also in signature twin braids and the dress itself almost looked like a mirror of the Snow Queen's ice gown.

"Who is that?"

"The snow queen's future girlfriend" Elsa grinned. "Tentatively named... Anna."

Anna blushed. "I... I always did think that having fire powers would be pretty sweet."

"So you give me your blessing?" Elsa wondered, as if she needed to ask.

"...yeah. You totally have my blessing!" Anna chirped. "But uhh... I don't want people getting the gay princess confused so maybe not name her after me?"

"Oh don't worry, by the time she's fully realised, she'll have a different name," Elsa grinned and kissed Anna again. "Good... now, I better get ready to take this stuff down to the studio."

"And... I, better go home and make sure Jessie's okay," Anna admitted.

Elsa rubbed the back of her head. "There is one thing I was wondering though, Anna."

"What's that?"

The blonde sat down next to her and held her hand, before looking around at the room they were in. "This apartment of mine... I dunno, it's getting quite lonely just being with Snowy and I... don't have many good memories here."

Anna raised her eyebrow. "Are you..." she stared straight at Elsa. "Are you asking if you wanna move in with me?"

"You've got a spare room for an office right?"

"Yeah... I think there's a backroom that isn't used," Anna admitted. "But isn't this something we should think more about?"

"Well, we don't need to figure out the details right now," Elsa admitted. "But... if this is gonna work Anna, then I wanna be right at your side and never let you go."

Anna smiled. "And neither do I... and plus, Jessie is quite fond of you."

Elsa grinned. "I think it's time we let her in on the big secret."

xXx

_A Few Weeks Later…_

It was Christmas Day in Anna's household and the place had never felt so lively, especially considering the recent additions to the family. Currently, Anna was preparing Christmas lunch for everyone, a big turkey that she'd brought from the store.

As the timer on the oven, Anna reflected on how magical this Christmas was and what had happened to make it so perfect this year. One woman, in particular, had really changed Anna's world for the better and Anna was glad to be spending the holidays with her as well.

Soon, the timer on the oven went ping and Anna grinned as she opened up the door.

"Okay, who's ready for Christmas turkey!" Anna cheered as she brought the big bird out of the oven.

"Me me me!" Jessie chirped, as she rushed into the kitchen.

Following Jessie in a rather casual grey jumper and blue pants, Elsa grinned and walked up to Anna, kissing her on the cheek "Make sure you give me a big bit, Anna," Elsa added, giggling.

Anna put the turkey on the table and gave Elsa a kiss back on the lips. "Of course, baby. After all, you're part of the family now."

The past week, Elsa had finally made her decision and moved in with Anna, much to Anna's delight. She'd never expected to have her move in so soon into their relationship, but Anna could clearly tell that Elsa found life with her very happy and fulfilling.

Plus, being around her show's two biggest fans was a great motivator for Elsa. She'd even brought home something from the Studio as a little Christmas treat for her new family. But if Anna was honest, Elsa just being here was the greatest Christmas treat she'd ever had.

Jessie grinned. "Does that make Olaf part of the family too? Since Elsa made him."

Elsa laughed. "The Snow Queen made him, not me."

"But you based her on you," Anna remarked, smirked.

"That I did, and I'm really proud of the episode featuring her and her new girlfriend."

"Oooh, and you brought that home to show us, right Elsa?" Jessie wondered.

Elsa shook her head. "Not exactly... Cartoons take a long time to make, Jessie. The first episode of the next season is already partly done so I brought that one."

"So... the one where the Queen falls in love with a girl hasn't happened yet."

"Not for another few months kiddo," Elsa apologised. "Still... I hope you like this one."

"Oh, I will!"

"Okay, enough talking more eating," Anna declared. "This turkey is gonna go cold."

After dinner, Jessie practically bounced into the living room. She was very eager to start watching the episode Elsa had brought home. Let's watch, let's watch!"

Anna had to admire her daughter's insistence. After all, she was practically loving the fact her mother's girlfriend made her favourite show. Anna remembered fondly when she and Elsa had told her the news the day Elsa had first came round to Anna's house for the first time.

The girl practically squealed the house down with her happiness. Although, Anna did notice her presents under the tree hadn't been unwrapped yet, especially one in particular.

"Aren't you gonna open your presents first?" she wondered.

"But Mama, I want to watch!"

"And we will...but I think I see something under the tree." Anna walked over to said tree and bent down. "What have we here?"

"What what what?"

With a gasp, Anna pulled out the gently wrapped parcel. "Here... this is a very special present from me and Elsa." She handed it to Jessie. "I think you should open this first."

"Okay!" Jessie grabbed it began to tear off the paper

Elsa sat on the couch nearby, her cat Snowy cuddling onto her lap. She stroked her fur, smiling. She was glad her cat had adjusted so well to their new home. "Yeah little one, we're gonna love it here."

Anna grinned, sitting next to Elsa. "I can't wait till she sees it."

Elsa smiled. "Thank you, Anna... for letting me be in your world."

"And thank you.. for being the best Christmas present I've ever had."

Jessie tore off the last piece of wrapping paper and as she saw the Olaf plushie... she squealed in delight, as Anna gave her girlfriend a big kiss.

Truly, this had been the best Christmas ever

xXx

**Author's note: **And so this story ends. I do hope you all have a very happy Christmas and I hope to write more stories for you in the new year! As for this AU, I'll continue it hopefully, I already have a few ideas in mind for extra stories for this Elsa and Anna, but that will have to wait, of course.

From me and Guppy, we thank you for reading!


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